Missing Music
by CringeWorthy
Summary: One shot on a part of Emily's childhood that she had long ago forgotten. While waiting to interview a suspect, Emily's eyes land on a piano and she uncovers some long buried memories. But thanks to JJ, Morgan, and especially Garcia she finds herself open to the possibility of enjoying those ivory keys like she used to so long ago.


_She stands alone behind the bright red curtains trying desperately to calm her stomach and nerves. In her twelve years of life she's learned to project an air of confidence even though on the inside she's a wreck. As she stands back stage she closes her eyes, ignores the murmuring of people on the other side of the curtain, she stills her fidgeting fingers and takes several deep breathes. She breathes in through her nose, out through her mouth, in through the nose, out through the mouth. She repeats it until the nausea subsides and her fingers have stopped shaking. _

_Today, she performs in front of the largest group yet, five hundred people and she's a nervous wreck but still excited. Today is the performance she's been preparing for for months. While she's more than excited to play for the crowd, to give to others what she gets from the music she plays, she's more excited about the prospect of her mother, the Ambassador, hearing it. _

_She's performed so many times she's lost track but today is the final performance and her mother had agreed to be there. So, with one final deep breath she cracks her knuckles and fingers and shakes out her limbs. _

_The curtains pull back ever so slowly, waving like a sea of red until the stage is wide open. The pristine black piano stands out on the barren stage and it beckons Emily towards it. Somewhere, an announcer is introducing her and her feet pull her towards the piano like a magnet. _

_Her navy blue dress sparkles under the stage lights and once she's seated she waits for the announcer to finish listing the songs she's set to play. Her eyes wander through the crowd, desperately trying to locate the only guest that really matters to her. The only person in the audience she plans to play for. It's when her eyes finish moving from person to person and she reaches the last person in the very back that her disappointment sets in. _

_It's when she sees her newest nanny appear through the doors that she realizes the guest of honor, Mother, wouldn't be coming. _

_Her heart drops but she's used to this kind of disappointment, she almost thrives on it. Almost. _

_So instead she rallies together at the last second and slips into her own world, the place she always goes to when she plays her music. _

_It's a place where her disappointments don't exist, where she doesn't need to be the best all the time, where her mother and father are proud of her and accept her for who she is. Her parents don't care that she didn't get straight A's, they don't care that she missed a note during one of her songs, they don't force her to constantly move around and they don't berate her for not learning a language fast enough. _

_No, in this place she can do no wrong and she has unconditional love. This is what her music conveys to those in the audience who listen hard enough. They hear the sadness as her fingers glide across the ivory keys. They hear the desperation and the disappointment but they also hear the hope and joy she draws from her sanctuary. _

_If they listen hard enough, they can hear all the things her soul and mind desperately try to convey to them. _

_Her fingers move of their own accord as they hit each key precisely until the last song finishes and her fingers ghost over the last note. _

_She stands from the bench she's been perched on and takes a bow as roses and applause shower down on her. The smile she places on her face is fake but they don't know that so they continue to cheer as the emotions wash over them. _

_Her fingers ache but she's used to that. With one final bow she exits the stage and descends the stairs, watching as the red curtains swish back and forth as they slide back into place. _

_A lone tear escapes as she watches the curtains close, not just on the performance but on her hope for her parents. It's at this moment; Emily realizes that her expectations of loving parents is something that will never come to fruition. She can only hope to earn their respect but their love; well that's a different story. She's an investment but nothing more. And for now, that's good enough. _

Emily is snapped out her memory by the snapping of fingers in her face. "Yo, Princess, you in there?" Morgan is only inches from her face, staring intently at her. "Yeah, where did you go?" JJ asks curiously.

The brunette shakes her head to clear the fog and the quickly depressing mood, "Yeah, just something about this case reminded me of something." She waves her hand dismissively hoping to end the line of questioning.

"Like what?" JJ prompts getting an enthusiastic and encouraging nod from Morgan

"Nothing important. Can we just interview the last person so we can go? I want to get out of here." Her eyes drift back towards the piano in the empty community center that sent her hurtling head first down memory lane.

"We can't finish our interviews until the owner finishes his meeting, you know that." Morgan crosses his arms over his chest and gives her a questioning look.

JJ just shakes her head, "What's gotten into you all of a sudden? You seem a little distracted."

Emily drags her eyes away from the piano and back to the two agents who are staring so hard she thinks they might burn a hole in her head. She runs a hand over her face as she schools her features, "I just remembered some things from when I was a kid, nothing important or pertinent to this case. So can we just drop it?"

The brunette walks over to the only seat in the room, the piano bench and plops down, her back facing the keys.

Morgan and JJ give her another questioning look but say nothing more. They move off to the corner to look at the various flyers pinned to the corkboard in hopes of finding some new leads.

Emily hesitantly spins around on the bench and lightly runs her fingers over the keys. Her mind instantly flashing back to her last performance, the one she hadn't thought of in over twenty years. It's happening before she can even stop herself but her fingers are pushing down on the keys and playing one of the songs she'd performed when she was twelve.

Her mind is instantly sent back to that place she'd long ago abandoned. Her hopes and desires echoing through the notes her fingers play.

She isn't sure how long she's been playing but the sound of her phone ringing snaps her out of the trance she'd been in and suddenly she's back to Agent Prentiss instead of the twelve year old Emily Prentiss.

She shoots up from the bench and raises her phone to her ear, listening intently to her boss's instructions.

It isn't until she's placing her phone back in her pocket that she remembers where she is and what she's doing there. It's as she starts to look up from the floor that she feels a warm hand on her cheek.

A thumb ghosts across her cheek and it's only then that she realizes a lone tear had run down her face as she played.

JJ pulls her hand back with an awestruck smile on her face and quickly she's wrapping her deceptively strong arms around Emily. When the embrace ends, Emily takes a step back, "What was that for?"

"For you. My God Em, that…that was beautiful. I've never heard anything so moving, so earth shatteringly beautiful." JJ flails her hands towards the abandoned piano with unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

Just as Emily is about to speak Morgan rushes up on her and wraps her in a tight hug, "Damn Princess, I didn't know you could play let alone play like that! What other secrets are ya keepin' from us?"

"Uh…I honestly didn't know I could still play. The last time I sat at a piano was when I was twelve." Emily suddenly feels uncomfortable with the attention; the mention of her childhood instantly puting a damper on things. She can feel her walls slowly climbing back up, the cold and emotionless distance making itself known. Her long held way of coping, a technique that her mother was glad to see her daughter had finally learned.

JJ is smiling warmly and about to try and convince the brunette to play another song when a door being pushed open makes them all whirl around. The owner stands in the doorway and waves them over, impatiently tapping his foot against the floor.

Morgan straightens up, JJ walks swiftly to the agitated owner and Emily just rolls her eyes and follows behind.

After the interview is finished, the three agents are just glad to be heading back to the office. All of them were tired and wanted nothing more than to unwind and relax.

As soon as they stepped into the bullpen Garcia flung herself at Emily and screamed in her ear, "Oh my God! I had no idea you could play! You have to play for us!"

The brunette looked utterly confused, looking from JJ to Morgan and back to JJ, trying to figure out what was going on. JJ just shrugged and Morgan suddenly dropped his gaze, finding the floor to be increasingly interesting. When he finally looked up, Emily gave him a glare that would've dropped him dead on the floor.

When Garcia released her death grip hug Emily took a step back and just stared at her for a moment.

"Sorry honey but your stink eye doesn't work on me. I think it's my exuberant sunny disposition and good looks that makes me immune." She winked playfully at the scowling brunette causing said brunette to smirk.

"I'm assuming you have video evidence of my awesome piano skills, then?" Garcia nods. "And I'm guessing that even if I asked you to delete that video, you wouldn't do it, correct?" Garcia nods again. "I see. And I'm also going to assume you'll want me to play for you and you won't take no for an answer. Is that also correct?" Garcia smiles devilishly before nodding enthusiastically. "Well, glad we got that settled." Emily tilts her head to the side, thinking about something then walks up to her desk opens a drawer, pulls out a small box, turns on her heel and leaves the office.

Her co-workers stared at her with surprise and curiosity etched onto their faces. Emily just waved her hand at them as she got onto the elevator.

The sound of Emily humming the song she had played earlier being the only thing floating through the air of the bullpen as she hopped onto the elevator.


End file.
